PEOPLE, PLACE AND CULTURE SHAPING THE ARCHITECTURE: Cases of Nepal and the Philippines

In celebration of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Philippines and ICOMOS Nepal collaborate on a talk that explores how climate change affects each country’s vernacular heritage. As vernacular heritage is a product of local climate, topography, culture and locally available materials in the past, how will future climate hazards – changing temperatures, rainfall patterns, winds, drought, flash floods, wildfire, storm, landslide, etc., have a larger impact on the site?

Two cases from each country shall present how the place of origin, climatic condition and the culture of the people living in the area has shaped their architecture. The speakers discuss how the vulnerabilities might manifest (rising damp, changing landscapes, loss of roofing, for example), how sites have adapted to keep resilient, and what other interventions we should be planning for today to secure sites for the imminence of climate change.The talk will take place on Monday, April 18, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM.

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rdOCupjMvH9xxMOoBKIRGDfJI8v-iHQmk

Diverse Pasts, Complex Futures – ICOMOS Day 2021 (April 18, 10:30am GMT+8)

In celebration of ICOMOS Day 2021, themed ??????? ?????, ??????? ???????, the Philippine National Committee hosts a talk that explores the creation, selection, and preservation of heritage through the kalesa study and the jeepney. 

Urban historian ??. ??????? ????? discusses the evolution of the carruaje in pre-War Manila. In the last century, it was perceived as a relic from an “unmodern” past that must give way to newer, safer transportation forms. Today it survives primarily for tourists who seek a nostalgic experience, or perhaps an incomplete interpretation/presentation of the Walled City and other historic districts. 

What lessons on heritage declaration and preservation might one draw by studying the case of the kalesa and the jeepney, currently absent from the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property? What insights might be applied to contemporary vernacular architecture, especially those of lower-income Filipinos? What role do heritage managers and cultural workers play in identifying what should be preserved and ensuring that cultural properties, especially those heavily used and meaningful to marginalized communities, endure into the future? 

These questions and more will be explored by Dr. Pante and guest discussants ???? ??? ?????????? and ?????? ?????? moderated by ???? ???????. 

  • The webinar will be held via Zoom on 18 April, Sunday at 10:30 AM Hong Kong SAR, MNL time 

Heritage Practice Amidst Covid-19: ICOMOS Philippines Discussion

As part of the International Day of Monuments and Sites 2020 theme of “Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility, and Shared Culture”, ICOMOS Philippines is organising a zoom discussion entitled, “Heritage Practice Amidst Covid 19”. The goal of the discussion is to check in with its members and understand how Covid-19 has affected their practice. It will explore collective strategies for heritage professionals in the Philippines to adapt to new challenges amidst the global pandemic.

Continue reading “Heritage Practice Amidst Covid-19: ICOMOS Philippines Discussion”

IDMS 2017: “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” Conference on Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines

IDMS 2017 Conference: Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines
29 April 2017 (Saturday) | 8:30AM-5:30PM (Manila City, Philippines)

In celebration of the 2017 International Day for Monuments and Sites, with the theme: “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism“, the International Council on Monuments and Sites Philippines will be holding a one-day conference entitled “Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines: Our Stories and Best Practices in the Regions” on April 29 (Saturday), from 8:30AM-5:30PM, at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Auditorium, Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila City.

The event features experts who will talk about the following:

  • Kara Garilao, “The Role of the Narrative in Local Heritage Tourism
  • Chen Mencias, “How Much is Paradise? Batanes and Its Economic Benefits through Heritage Conservation
  • Tracey Santiago and Mapee Singson, “Saving Sagada: Realities and Recommendations
  • Dominic Galicia and Tina Paterno, “Beginning Sustainable Tourism Efforts in Quiapo and Escolta
  • Augusto Villalon, “Cultural Tourism Projects in Bohol Using Heritage Resources for Tourism
  • Richard Daenos, “Elevating Angeles City as UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy
  • Charisse Tugade, “Consuming Culture: Authenticity and Responsibility in Heritage-Based Tourist Merchandise
  • Ivan Henares, “Social Media Marketing of Cultural Tourism

Early bird registration is at PHP 1,000 until April 24. On-site registration fee will be PHP 1,200 (PHP 700 for students) inclusive of copies of the abstracts of the presentations and lunch.

For inquiries on the event, kindly contact Ms. Dominique Candi H. Escover at (046) 423 3741 / 0906 973 2310 or via email at nicaescover@icomosphilippines.com.

IDMS 2015: ICOMOS Philippines Heritage Talk Series

ICOMOS Philippines is inviting everyone to attend the ICOMOS PH Heritage Talks on Cultural Landscapes!

This heritage talk series will be on June 25 (Thursday) at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts from 6-8PM. This is open to the public and FREE of charge.

Kindly send us a message if you are interested to join us and we will reserve you a seat. Thank you and we hope to see you all!

#icomosph #ncca #culturallandscapes #heritagetrees #idms

ICOMOS Philippines joins in the celebration of World Heritage Day 2011

April 18 is the International Day for Monuments and Sites or World Heritage Day. For 2011, the theme is: The Cultural Heritage of Water.


According to ICOMOS, “Water is one of the key resources required to sustain life. It has led to the development and generation of significant material culture in the form of items, technology and places. How to obtain it, how to store it, how to harness its power and conserve it has motivated human endeavour in a myriad of ways. It has also been the catalyst for the development of significant cultural practices which have generated intangible cultural heritage values. It has inspired poetry, literature, artistic endeavour such as painting, dance and sculpture. It has informed and inspired the development of philosophies and religious practice. The cultural heritage of water, therefore relates not only to the technology and architecture that humankind has developed to manage, utilise and celebrate its life giving properties but also to those intangible values that have shaped our beliefs and practices.”

Ivan Anthony Henares, a member of the ICOMOS Philippines National Committee and expert member of the International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC), writes about the cultural heritage of water in the Philippines in International Day for Monuments and Sites 2011 celebrates the cultural heritage of water.

ICOMOS Philippines celebrates the heritage of Agriculture

On the proposal of ICOMOS, 18 April was endorsed as the International Day for Monuments and Sites by UNESCO in 1983. This special day offers an opportunity to raise public awareness concerning the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability. For several years now, ICOMOS suggests a topic to be highlighted on this occasion. This has allowed our members and our committees to hold activities, conferences, colloquia or other events to raise awareness on this cultural heritage among the public, the owners or the public authorities by linking a global theme to local or national realities.

This year’s theme is: The Heritage of Agriculture. Ivan Anthony Henares, ICOMOS Philippines member and expert member of the International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC), introduces the agricultural heritage of the Philippines in International Day for Monuments and Sites 2010 celebrates the heritage of agriculture.

Accroding to ICOMOS, “In the last two decades, the international NGO’s and public administrations in charge of heritage protection have begun to define and characterize the heritage of agriculture as well as to establish the criteria and tools that should guide the assessment of its values, protection and management. Accordingly, ICOMOS, UNESCO and other international organizations have included these objectives in their ongoing research and projects. It is therefore pertinent to evaluate how heritage properties linked to agricultural and livestock rearing practices are taken into account in current heritage practice by examining significant international experiences in this field, such as the listing of such properties in UNESCO’S World Heritage List and in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as the Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems Programme (GIAHS), led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) with other partners such as UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre, ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), IUCN (The World Conservation Union) and CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research).”